And the twenty grand, if you find the pearls. But you won't, of course. Not after twenty years. 1 lit my cigarette and blew smoke at the ceiling. "It's still my own time, I said. He looked at me for a moment. "Suppose I send somebody to follow you What then?" "I'll know if that happens. I've done this job for too long. I'll tell the police what I know, and go home. "The police? Why?" put my hands on the desk. Because, I said slowly, the guy that had the lead got bumped off today.